


Soundless

by SkyTheLoner



Series: HoH Katniss AU [1]
Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Deaf Character, Disabled Character, Gen, Hard of Hearing, Hard of Hearing Katniss Everdeen, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Mild Hurt/Comfort, One Shot, Post-Games (Hunger Games), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Somewhat plotless, The Capitol (Hunger Games), Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, sort of weird but whatever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:35:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25395496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyTheLoner/pseuds/SkyTheLoner
Summary: Due to time restraints. Katniss never got her hearing fixed. The Capitol said they would fix it as soon as possible.That was a month ago.
Relationships: Haymitch Abernathy & Katniss Everdeen
Series: HoH Katniss AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1840198
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	Soundless

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't read the hunger games in a long time.

"Hey... girl on fire," said someone to one side of her, just loud enough for her to register that there are words, and Katniss lifted her head in a slight panic, worried she missed something important. She should have been paying closer attention, she mentally berated herself with a frown. Starting about a week after the Games, she started having nightmares and she started spacing out a week after that. It was annoying, especially now that she couldn't hear as well.

 _Stupid_ _forgetful me,_ she thought to herself, rubbing her face. But she couldn't stopping thinking, her mind still half in Survival Mode.

One half of her was here at the table in the Victor's Village and the other half was in the arena going a mile a minute and trying to recall the exact shade of some edible berries she had seen in the forest. It was normal, but she couldn't focus on being _here_ when she was being hunting like a deer _there._ She was sitting at this table, but she was thinking about everything but it. And her finger touched the wood of the - tree - table and she absently gripped it and lifted her leg to start climbing. Her body was grounded, or maybe not, and she couldn't always find her mind.

But she wasn't in the Games.

_Stupid forgetful me._

Someone - Haymitch - tapped her shoulder, causing her to look up. She was sitting at a table, of course. "Now, now, sweetheart, don't beat yourself up about... whatever." His voice was slurred, but he looked like was putting in effort to speak loud and clear.

That was nice, Katniss supposed.

When she gave him a puzzled look, he sighed heavily and she frowned at the smell - like spoiled grapes.

She wonder if he brushed his teeth recently.

Katniss Everdeen took the moment to try to ground herself:

She was Katniss Everdeen, and she was sixteen years old.

She lived in District Twelve.

The two of them were sitting at a table in her house in the Victor's Village.

It was one month after the Games.

She was not curled up beside a dying Peeta in a cave.

She was not climbing a tree; that wasn't what the wood under her fingertips was. It was a skillfully crafted table that the Capitol provided with this house right here. It was rather nice, but she would have liked it more if they could have hurried up on the problem known as "Katniss is half-deaf" instead of some dumb table. Or the chair she was sitting one, with its plush pillow and oak wood. Or even the nice picture of a jabberjay. Or the soft carpet.

Or the letter written in perfectly uniform letters that was sitting on the table next to her.

That was a notice about getting her ear fixed. It had been damaged by an explosion when she took out the Careers' food supply.

To summarize it, it said:

_"Dear Katniss Everdeen of District Twelve,_

_Thank you for writing to us about something we should have done a month ago. Have a random item as an apology._

_We will do it as soon as possible, maybe send a hearing aid or something soon. (Not)._

_Signed,_

_Some dumb Capitol person."_

Probably someone close to Snow.

She wondered it this was a punishment for the stunt she pulled during the Game. That seemed likely. Luckily, they had fixed Peeta's leg, though mostly because it was noticeable - they could just plop her on the right side of Caesar and hope she could hear him with the loud mic.

Inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly, she quickly peeked at the definitely-not-sober man sitting to her left. He probably would sit on her right, but normally he was drunk. So she didn't see a point in mentioning it to him - drunk (normal) Haymitch was usually loud enough.

She had zoned out long enough to have a whole entire internal monologue. A quick glance at the clock mounted on the wall - also a gift from the Capitol - told her that only five minutes had pasted. Not bad, since her all time record was fifteen minutes, she thought to herself, nodding her head. Most of the time it took Peeta to snap her out of her daze. Sometimes with a chaste kiss on her cheek, sometimes by saying her name in her working ear, but mostly with a tap on the shoulder.

"Earth to Katniss," mumbled Haymitch, grabbing the now empty bottle beside him and she only half heard him. He lifted it up and tilted it back, but found it empty save for a few drops.

Grumbling to himself now, he looked at her from the corner of his eyes and added, "You awake in there, Katniss? Maybe you should take a nap - a princess like you needs her beauty sleep, you know."

She shook her head free of flashing thoughts and turned towards him. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

He nodded. "I've looked in the mirror enough times to recognize what that look back there was, sweetie," Haymitch told her, but didn't add anything more. He placed a hand on her shoulder - she pushed it off politely. He raise his hand again, then decided against it.

Katniss grabbed the letter and crumpled it up, then threw it into a nearby trashcan.

She rubbed her forehead, eyebrows furrowing.

"What's wrong now?"

Haymitch reached under the table for what was luckily the last bottle in the box. Opening it, he took a long sip, then sighed.

"It's taking a while," she said after a moment with a huff then leaned back in her chair. "It's been a month now, and none of my letters are doing anything. At this point, I'm willing to learn how to make the damn thing." That was what she was trying to say, but she wasn't sure if that was what came out.

Even though she had a lot of money now, it didn't mean much if she didn't have the supplies.

Setting down the half empty bottle, Haymitch snorted and said, "That's the Capitol for you. Wouldn't want their "girl on fire" to be _visibly_ disabled." He added, "I'm sure they'll get bored with sending gifts eventually, Katniss dear."

She laughed for the first time in a while.

"...yeah."


End file.
